If no one is going to talk about the whole show nowadays, and instead complain about the future rather then discuss the past, so be it. You ready?

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Ben Ten (yes, that's the best I can think of right now)

Darkness falls across the landThe midnight hour is close at handCreatures crawl in search of bloodTo terrorize y'alls neighborhoodAnd whosoever shall be foundWithout the soul for getting downMust stand and face the hounds of hellAnd rot inside a corpses shellThe foulest stench is in the airThe funk of forty thousand yearsAnd grizzly ghouls from every tombAre closing in to seal your doomAnd though you fight to stay aliveYour body starts to shiverFor no mere mortal can resistThe evil of the thriller...

Cursed Buses! Fire Senshi Mars Appears

Pre-Eyecatcher-The beginning scene with Beryl and Jadeite feels rather redundant now, doesn't it?-Don't you think Usagi should at least mention what was up with the police car to Ami before being reminded by the other police car and Naru? Because I don't think people lose their curiosity when talking to someone.-So, was Usagi supposed to be confused, worried, or what in the facial expression after Luna's comment? The clarity of it is wasn't coming across very well.-And of course, the plot is flat out told in a overt fashion. How typical.-Now's here something visual to look out for. Notice how Jadeite's eyes are in the dark, or not visible. Not only does it bring up a plot point for Rei later, it brings up visual interest to remind the young folks of the enemy. But, again, it's something to point out.-To add on the visuals, look at the use of flames, the darking on Rei's eyes, and the usage of music on Rei's first appearance. Feels rather moody, doesn't it?-You know, it's funny on how three girls just go along with the creepy old man's "ceremony". You think they make some comment on him and leave, but hey, what's the fun of that?-Little do we know that Usagi actually becomes one for a while in episode 62 and 151. But that's another story...-And thus a friendship begins. You know what I'm talking about.-Also notice that while Jadiete attacks the girls, you can clearly see the eyes. Weird convenience? I think not.-Nice use of primary colors and a camera angle when we see the schoolgirls. Brings a downcast approach to it pretty well.-So wait a minute. Grandpa also hits on males? Either Grandpa's "Pepe Le Pew" approach to the ladies hadn't been developed yet, or he's using the males like in episode 136. Either way, let's not get anal about this.-As much as there's charm in seeing some of the animation in these early episodes, man do some of them get off model pretty badly. Like this shot of Rei for instance...-So, how can telling what's going on using flames made Luna assumes Rei could be the princess? I don't remember the actual princess telling the future when we see her later on.-Again, I can see stuff like the dialogue between the mom and Rei happening in real life. Such progress we made, huh?-Hey look, animation shortcut #723. No movement on the background characters!-[Insert comment about Usagi's character here]-Wow, nice use of flashing lights when Usagi said "no way, no way" on the bus. Definitely helps the frantic feeling of the scene. You know, as much as this episode isn't really interesting, at least from the visual standpoint, it on par with the other episodes, which of course, I like.-Also, I don't know why, but I sorta like Ami's sudden shock when the portal shows up.Post-Eyecatcher-See, Jadiete's eye connect to the plot somehow! Don't you love it when plot points like that connect each other?-Okay, Usagi's personality right now is starting to remind me of Homer Simpson (no, not the episodes where he's a jerkass). The two of them changing their attuides like a dog, same lazy attitude, same happy go lucky lifestyle, you know what I'm talking about.-However, not only was there was a nice use of abstract backgrounds again with Luna, after Usagi disguised herself, there's also a nice use if flahing backgorunds again when Usagi jumps. See what I mean about the visuals?-You know what else I'm noticing? Every time Usagi is disguised, her disguise always comes with her wearing lipstick. And how does lipstick make you look different?-See what I mean when Usagi reminds me of Homer? The "I don't wanna, but I'll do it" feels like something Homer would do.- Note: The tiara actually doesn't kill the Youma this time. It also does some air move to trap the enemy according to this episode.-Another Note: It also one of the rare episodes where another solider kills the youma, in this case, Mars with "Fire Soul" for the first time.-Speaking about Mars, I'm not quite sure what Rei's character is the first time we meet her. Is she the serious, mysterious type, or is it something that only lasts this episode? Because unlike the introduction of the others, Rei isn't coming across who she is that well.-Oh, and I'm not a huge fan that, somehow, Ami's pen extend the hole. That just feels so cliche and overused to me.Overall: Yeah, as you can see, just like episode 8, other then introducing the next Sailor Solider, nothing really special happens in this one. The plot just feels uninspired again, the characterizations is mediocre again, and the drama I can take it and leave it. So, what the word I'm thinking of that's made for you and me? A-V-E-R-A-G-E!The images are from "the oracle". Why? 'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare try!